Critical incident declared at East Kent hospitals

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust has declared a critical incident because of an IT issue affecting some services.

The trust said people attending emergency departments at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate with non-life-threatening conditions could face long waits.

Patients needing medical help are being advised to use NHS 111, their GP, a pharmacy or one of its urgent treatment centres in Ashford, Canterbury, Deal, Dover, Herne Bay, Faversham, Folkestone, Margate and Whitstable.

The trust says patients should assume planned procedures and appointments will go ahead unless they are contacted directly.

Sarah Hayes, chief nursing and midwifery officer, said: "Our teams continue to work incredibly hard in exceptionally busy conditions to ensure patients receive safe, high quality and compassionate care.

"The pressure on our urgent and emergency services is extremely high, and we are focused on supporting patients who need us most."

The trust has asked people only to attend emergency departments for life-threatening illnesses or injuries and said relatives should collect loved ones who are ready for discharge as soon as possible if they are able to.

IT teams are working to identify the cause of the problem and restore services as quickly as possible, the trust said.

Hayes said anyone needing urgent medical help should still come forward, using 999 in life-threatening emergencies and 111 for other urgent care.

She said anyone unsure about where to go should call the NHS 111 service or visit the website.

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